The Tale of the Outraged Director

Hiya, guys! It's been a while! I hope everything is going great with everybody! Spiffy even! :o)
I wasn't really certain what to blog about, or even if I was going to, until my new pal Val kinda screamed, BLOG! at me via the Twitterwaves! Buckle up, kiddies! For those of you that have read the bloggage before, as always, it's gonna be a bumpy ride with plenty of rib crackin' fun!
I figure I shall tell you a tale. A tale of my youth when I was just a silly young thing about 700 or so...wait...that wasn't me. That was Anya(gotta love the Buffy references)! Where was I? Ah, yes! I was somewhere around the ripe old age of 16. Usually, when my stories begin with my age, you can about bet that it's going to be about a theatrical experience. Well, guess what? This one's no different. This one may not be so much theatrical as the events surrounding the theatrics. You've heard the story of THE ALABAMA DENNY'S. You've heard the tale of THE DRUNKEN ACTRESS OF LES MIS, but for your reading pleasure, or demise, not sure which yet, you shall hear, THE TALE OF THE OUTRAGED DIRECTOR. As I was saying, I was 16. Everyone caught up now? Good.
Sixteen was a pretty fun age for me. I'd spent a month during the summer with a friend of mine in California, and hi-jinks always ensued when we were together. Still do. After I had to come back to Georgia, I was kinda down. I always hate to leave LA. Anyway, I came back and was working at a local bookstore at the time. I'd been employed there since the previous year and I'd asked the owner if there was anyway I could take my month off. He was always real good to work with me about things like that. I'll never find another manager like him. I'd had to have a certain type of schedule to fit around my acting. Anyway, I started back at work and then the next week it was auditions galore. A friend of mine and I, yet another one I tended to get into trouble with, were audition partners.
For those of you unfamiliar with theater audition etiquette, I shall take a moment to fill you in. In a cold reading, which is typically the first step in an open audition, you sit in this circle of people, some of whom you've never worked with before, and read these parts, yielding expressive voices, when you've only had about three minutes to review the character you're reading for. After separating the sheep from the goats, so to speak, the director decides who he'd like to audition.
My friend Chris and I used to feed off of one another's acting. We'd been improv partners for probably close to six years by that point in time, and it was automatic for me to say something, being completely dramatic, and for him to just pick up another character part in tandem with my own. We could keep up a good ruse for HOURS! Naturally, he's going to be the person I pick to audition with for the couple audition section, right?
I'm getting ahead of myself. Let me back up. The second step is a solo audition. Since I did musical theater, this typically called for a spoken monologue and a solo song choice. Well, I, being the Buffy obssessed individual that I was at the time, chose to do Buffy's "Men With Your Sales" monologue from RESTLESS. I had absolutely no idea that the director, a very handsome gay male, absolutely loved Buffy. I mean, LOVED Buffy.
I began delivering the monologue and I hear this...ya know...I'm not real sure what you'd call it. It was a cross between a squeal and a shriek. A very disturbing sound. He'd recognized it automatically. Well, I was so stunned by his outburst, and yes, I KNOW a trained thespian is supposed to be able to continue no matter what happens, but you didn't hear this sound! Chris, being the awesome friend that he was, yells at me from somewhere offstage, "I SHOWED UP EARLY SO I GOT TO BE COWBOY GUY!" which got an eyeroll from me, but it made me able to find my place and attempt to take back over.
I was planning on taking back over anyway, until the director shouted at Chris, "Shut up, you oversized government experiment! You're ruining the best piece of pop culture in any world that's ever been created!" and yes, he was talking about Riley, but it left Chris stunned.
The director composed himself from his mental breakdown and said, in a very calm and serene voice, from the yell that had rang through the theater, "Continue, Miss Holmes." So I began again, making it all the way through the short monologue and into my song, FULL OF GRACE. Buffy nut. Remember?
I basically knew I had the part in the bag if the awe in the director's eye was anything to go off of. Any part I wanted for that matter. Chris auditioned, and the director loved him too, so we'd both made it through to the team audition. Most of the time, during a team audition, you typically drag someone to the audition that isn't planning on having a part in the play. It's hard to audition with another actor because you have to worry about one overshadowing the other, and then the director doesn't see the potential in the other person. Chris and I balance pretty well, so it wasn't really a problem.
We did an excerpt from a Rowan Atkinson skit called FATAL BEATINGS in which a teacher is explaining to a very upset father that his son has been beaten to death by said teacher. Very funny skit! After that came the duo song number and we performed PAST THE POINT OF NO RETURN from PHANTOM OF THE OPERA. We both got the parts we wanted and all was hugs and puppies...except for this one minor problem. This girl that the cast began calling Margoat behind her back.
The girl's hair might have been bleached blonde, but her brain was the real deal. I mean this girl could tell you anything about what color clashed with what, but ask her the capital of Georgia, her home state, and you'll wait a year before she comes up with Buckhead...and no that isn't right. She makes a grape look intelligent. Margoat, bless her heart, had a penchant for wearing white. All white. No one ever knew why. We'd finally had it with her one day. She thought she knew better than any of the other cast members what we were doing wrong with our parts if we had any issues.
Chris and I, the troublemakers of the group, devised a scheme to shut Margoat up. We'd put our heads together and decided that the next rehearsal, when Margoat came in wearing her signature whiteness, that we, along with three other cast mates, would bring our supersoakers...filled with purple grape juice as a manner of payback, so we went into the costume room two days later. There's no modesty in theater, you all change together. Hence the reason we were all in the room waitng for her.
There were somewhere around 8 excited cast members in the room, 5 of us with SupersoakerXP water guns filled with grapey goodness. It was dark on stage as there were no stage lights on, meaning the costume room offstage was dark as well. The door opened, and Chris yelled, "NOW!" We fired before the lights even came on, only seing the outline of our outraged target.
After emptying our guns all over the figure in the door, Tyler, another Supersoaker wielder, realized that the screams and shouts were coming from a very feminine sounding man. Chris flipped the light switch on and saw a now purple clad, irate director standing before him. It turned out Greg, director man, had somewhere he had to be and was about to call everyone to let them know we weren't rehearsing.
It just so happened that since he was going somewhere special, he'd felt the need to buy a brand new Ralph Lauren Polo baby blue linen suit. Parts of it were still blue, but I really don't think he appreciated the tye-dyed effect we'd given the ensemble. That could have been him pointing at the door and saying, "Go." in a deathly cold voice after yelling at the entire room for 15 minutes tipping me off though. Sigh. Guess we'll never know if he was really angry.
Rehearsal resumed the next week, and the incident was never spoken of again. The production was a success, and Greg stopped directing right after that...wonder why? Hmmm.
Till next time, guys! :o)

A Piece of My Past

Hiya guys! I hope this blog post finds all of you feeling great, grand, and groovy! So I was thinking today, reminiscing if you will, about the older days! Ya know, the times in middle school and high school that were totally awesome! Well, mine were anyway, which I mostly attribute to my close friends. What spurned on the sudden interest in taking a stroll down memory lane, you ask? I was checking my Formspring. In my inbox, someone had asked me the question: "Who was your best friend in school?" You know, I had a good many friends in school, and I didn't even have to think about who it was. Of course I fleshed out the answer on Formspring because, if you guys haven't figured out by now, I like talking! So I wanted to take a few minutes and talk about my best friend in my school days. :o)
Out of any of the friends in school I made, none could hold a candle to my friend Luke. I'm not real sure why I wound up calling him Luke, because everyone else calls him Lucus, but he'll always be Luke to me! He and I started hanging out my 6th grade year in Mrs. Betsill's 4th period English class. I'm not really sure how it happened. I think we were Agenda signing partners or maybe got paired together on a paper. Anyway! We clicked pretty well. I can remember during the summer us calling each other and, literally, staying on the phone for HOURS. To the point that I could switch from a cordless phone, to the corded phone, and then back to the cordless phone after it had built back up a full charge. I can remember sitting up on the roof at night chatting with him on the phone, and I can even remember him riding the bus to my house around 7th and 8th grade year. Those were good times! When I got my first job, and we didn't have any classes together anymore, he'd come visit me for lunch on the weekends. I always looked forward to them! He was someone that I knew I could confide anything in and I could completely trust him. I think we talked about EVERYTHING! Such fun!
That was then, and this is now. Now we're both busy, but we keep up with one another via the glorious mediums of Twitter and Facebook! Sometimes we even hang! I can honestly say he's my favorite lunch buddy ever! Wish there was more time to spend with him! He's definitely one of the people that I count among my lists of blessings. Love ya, Luke!
Till next time guys!

THE KILLING JAR

Hey ya'll! Long time no blog! I've missed you my lovable peeps! I've had so much to write about that I've had nothing to write about. Does that make sense? No? Hang with me for a little while and it will! I apparently get overwhelmed when I have more than one thing on my mind to write about. Who knew? Anyhow, since I wasn't sure which thing I had going on in my life to start from, I decided to try something different. A movie review. A movie review over...drum roll please... Amber Benson's movie THE KILLING JAR. Yeah, I know...she tends to appear in my blogs quite often. Deal with it! It's part of my charm! :o) It's not typical of me to do a movie review. I haven't really reviewed one since high school when I used to review films for both my Drama class and my AP Pop Culture class. I may be a little rusty at it, but I'll give it a go and you guys can let me know what you think! WARNING: I do NOT advise eating while watching this film. I mean really...fast first. And away we go!
You know how sometimes there are films that move really slowly? Typically thriller and action type movies that are set in one specific place, for instance, a diner in the middle of nowhere, tend to be a little on the boring side and have a hard time catching your attention. Sure they promise you blood, gore, and scary dreams, but in the end, it just leaves ya kind of hollow. I was all on board with watching the movie THE KILLING JAR, namely for three reasons: Amber Benson(LOVE HER!), Kevin Gage(HE'S BEAUTIFUL!), and Michael Madsen(WONDERFUL ACTOR!). Even though I was kinda skittish about seeing the film because given Amber Benson's talent for nailing roles that she's killed in, I didn't think my heart could handle seeing her die...again. I made peace with the fact that it was a very distinct possibility that she could, what with the growing body count in the Copral Grill being one of the main aspects of the film, but I decided I'd watch it anyway. For a film that I had only sat down to watch for the primary purpose of looking at Kevin Gage's eyes and hear him speak, and yes also to support Amber Benson's acting venue, I was impressed! Let me back up right here and say that while I am a fan of certain actors, I am at least not blinded by my like of their acting style to know when the project they've worked on wasn't the greatest. For example, the movie TABOO. Even though Miss Benson did well with her role, the scripting just wasn't there, and the whole film was kinda lame in general. Which is in no way the cast members' fault. They can only give as much as the scripting allows them. That being said, I was pleased that THE KILLING JAR wasn't such a film. The script was well done, the casting brilliant, and plenty of surprises that you never once saw coming.
While it is your standard movie of a psycho looney tune goes into a restaurant and starts shooting people up, it goes way beyond standard with the intricate character details. Each character has their own secrets, a depth to them, which is kind of hard to find in a lot of thrillers that tend to circle around one primary antagonist. You always seem to find out little tidbits of info about the bad guy, but never the people that the bad guys kill. I was very pleased to see that the characters were real people. They had families with names, they had quirks, things they were good at, and a specific voice. You had Noreen(Benson), who was a self declared dumb waitress that was trapped in a marriage she should have left years ago, but she could count! Miss Benson seemed to be channeling her Alabama roots in the film because her slight Southern drawl stayed intact throughout most of the movie. She seemed to be the voice of reason in the film, and I was very pleased to see that the role kind of differentiated from some of the other roles she's done. Then you had Doe(Madsen), a random guy that just stepped into a diner wanting something to eat that wound up taking his frustrations for the day out on everybody in the diner. His character was simply rage. All out rage, but he was a smart guy! Michael Madsen played the part well. The role seemed to have been written just for him. Whether it was or not, I don't know. But I do know that he played it to a "T". Then you had Dixon(Harold Perrineau), a fast talking salesman that just wanted to get home after he'd been working. I call him reaction guy. He'd assess the situation, and most of the time act accordingly. The part was brilliantly played. Hank(Gage), was a soft spoken ex-military man that would stop in for some conversation twice a month with Noreen and Lonnie(Lew Temple). He seemed to be more of a quiet strength type character. Didn't say much, but when he did it really meant something. I felt that Gage portrayed that character in a way few other actors could have. He wasn't overly dramatic and you could sense every emotion his character seemed to be going through. You have all these subtexts going on under this main storyline and it's just kind of...typically I wouldn't use the word refreshing for a film like this, but we'll go with it... it was kind of refreshing to see director and writer Mark Young be able to interweave these little tidbits of the different characters lives into the primary plot to give it more substance. It takes a real talent to do that well, and he was spot on.
So the plot... big man that's highly ticked off, big gun, you do the math. I can tell you from experience, this is absolutely NOT a film to watch whilst eating anything with the slightest tinge of a red hue to it...as a matter of fact, I'd fast before watching the film if you happen to be a tad on the weak stomached side. I was eating a bowl of spaghetti...I can't even BEGIN to tell you what a mistake THAT was! The goal of the characters trapped inside the diner in the movie? To get out alive. The reality? The odds of that happening are pretty much impossible. If ya like blood, this is your movie, because there is definitely blood and lots of it! It is kinda nice to see a film that doesn't shy away from events as they actually happen.
All in all, I give this film a big round of applause. It may be a low budget independent film, but it's definitely one that shows what can be accomplished on a small budget as long as you have good casting, good scripting, and well developed characters. Another heads up for you! Listen to the song the credits are rolling to. It's none other than the song stylings of Miss Amber Benson! The song is called THE ONE I NEED, and the musician in me says it's a cool tune. Not to mention the vocals are awesome! If you're curious about the song, check it out! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQyv6ztdV7A My advice...watch THE KILLING JAR and enjoy. And remember... NO EATING!
Till next time guys! :o)

I Need Your Opinion!

Hey guys! I'm still kinda ticked over the whole thing with Amber Benson's DRONES and the SyFy Channel's series "Human Relations". I just finished an article that didn't make me feel better about the situation. I posted a comment, trying to be as objective as possible, but I don't think I was all that objective. I tend to side with Amber. But I tried! Anyway, here's the comment I posted. You guys let me know what you think! I anxiously await your feedback!

"My opinion. I love Amber Benson. Although there are coincidences made in the creative world, I don't believe this was one of them. I was priviledged enough to see DRONES at the Slamdance Film Festival and remember thinking what a neat concept it was. I also remember the trailer being covered on SyFy, which leads me to believe they knew exactly what they were doing when the idea for "Human Relations" was pitched. In a previous entry, there was the comment from Prendergast saying he'd been working on it since 2008, which still places it being brought to the table AFTER the wheel for DRONES was set into motion. Also, the comment wondering where their synopsis came from, at film festival I attended, the verbal introductions were the same as the synopsis given by Benson in her blog. Also, it wasn't her idea that was claimed to be lifted... it would have been Acker and Blacker's idea. I'm not saying it was lifted, but I fully believe that SyFy knew exactly what they were doing when they set the field in motion for "Human Relations". To be fair, most people don't even know the name Amber Benson, unless they followed "Buffy", and still most only know her as Tara. Adam Busch's name definitely isn't "Big Hollywood", and while Prendergast's name is an mostly unknown except for maybe as the director of KABLUEY, he's still working for a major television network, so I'd consider that more "Big Hollywood" than Amber Benson or Adam Busch of late. Who's to say this isn't possibly a publicity stunt for SyFy? It certainly isn't harming them that their new program is getting buzz, negative or otherwise. Say the idea wasn't ripped off of Acker and Blacker's work. It still begs the question why SyFy would choose now to come out with this concept for a series. I think it's a possibility they could have known what would happen. Either that or they thought Amber and Adam were too stupid to figure out what was going on before the show aired. It doesn't explain why they would wait until 7 months before DRONES is set to release to make a series from it if they've had the concept all along. All this being said, I don't believe Benson owes anyone a retraction OR an apology. She never came right out and said the idea was lifted; she merely said that it was coincidental. And that point of fact CANNOT be argued. If she has no tangible proof, so what? He doesn't have any either. It's your basic argument of "he said/she said". If anyone is at fault, I believe the blame lays with SyFy. They fully know what is being promoed on their site, and I can guarantee you at least one person from the network made a film festival to see DRONES, so I believe they were fully cognitive of the situation. There is room in the market for similar products, but even in regards to knock off items, have the decency to let the one that was developed first get on its feet before adding to the mix. Indie films have a hard enough time making it as it is, no matter who's directing."

So there ya have it! What do ya'll think?

Miffed

Hey guys! Long time no talk! I wanted to share something with you all that has really irritated me. A few months ago, a film called DRONES, co-directed by Amber Benson and Adam Busch and written by Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, premiered at the Slamdance Film Festival in Park City, Utah. The trailer for the film looked promising, and it didn't disappoint. I don't want to give much of it away for those of you who haven't had the opportunity to see the film yet, but trust me when I say it takes a lot to impress me with a film, and this one did.
This little indie film is set in an office environment and takes place over the course of a week, following the life of Brian Dilks, an office drone who discovers that he may... or may not... be working with aliens who may... or may not... be planning to take over the earth. Yeah, I'm not telling which it is because I want you guys to be sure to see the film when it comes out. The lack of special effects in the movie make it that much better than almost anything mainstream Hollywood would ever be able to put together. The screenplay and dialogue is witty, catty, and just plain hillarious all at the same time thanks to the incredible writing team of Acker and Blacker, who also do the Thrilling Adventure Supernatural and Suspense Hour in Los Angeles; if you're out that way, make a stop in and check it out. The directors, what can I say? It's clear on the film that they knew what they were doing one hundred percent. Everything sounds peachy keen, right? So, you may be wondering what the downside is. I'm about to tell ya.
I have this pal o' mine that was nice enough to keep me posted on all things Twitter while my internet was down from moving over the weekend. I get a text message. "The whole DRONES thing sucks for Amber Benson." I was like, "Wait, what?" I was very confused. You never realize how much you miss until there's no cyber space... Anyhow, back to the story. After waiting patiently, and kinda worriedly, for the next text, I find out that the SyFy Channel is releasing a television series that is remarkably similar to the DRONES movie. I could have hit something. Namely... the SyFy Channel people. You know what? It doesn't even deserve capital letters. syfy channel. There. I like that better. I don't lose my temper all that often, but seeing someone's hard work just ripped off like that... infuriates me. Amber Benson was more diplomatic in her blog about this subject, but I don't have to be. I said RIPPED OFF.
When someone takes the mind spawn of two brilliant men like Ben Acker and Ben Blacker, changes the names of the character and the name of the show, but has the same plot line. IT'S THE SAME THING WITH A DIFFERENT NAME! I mean, COME ON! Acker and Blacker wrote the script in six days. Angela Bettis was brought on one day before filming. The crew pulled up dolly track so the camera could make a full circle, for Pete's sake! Hence the reasoning of the irritation, considering it's pretty much unheard of for a script to be done in that amount of time, or for an actress to do that well in a film in only one day's time. Chances are, the Syfy Channel, a mainstream cable network, probably took all of two seconds to rip the idea off.
Like Amber Benson said in her blog(found here: http://amberbensonwrotethis.blogspot.com/2010/07/drones-tv-show.html) people have similar ideas for programs and products all the time. I mean, look at Coca-Cola and Pepsi. Similar and yet different. However, truth be told, the recipe for Coca-Cola was stolen from an INDEPENDENT Pharmacy and taken to a pharmaceutical CHAIN to be used as cough syrup before the carbonation was added to make it a tasty beverage. So, yeah, not so much a fresh idea as a rip off... much like syfy has done to the creators and proud parents of DRONES. I, for one am miffed, and don't plan on sitting idly by. I'm thinking boycotting the network's programs. I've started a petition which can be signed here: http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/saveourdrones
If you guys want to band together to possibly help getting the network to not release the series, sign the petition(for anyone) and add a DRONES twibbon to your Twitter profile pic, for those of you who have Twitter. Be sure to see DRONES when it is released in March 2011. Let's bring 'em down!
BRING IT ON SYFY!!!!!

The Alabama Denny's

Hi guys! I've missed you! Was telling a friend of mine a pretty amusing story about another friend of mine, who has absolutely no sense, last night. She reccommended that I write about it in the good ol' blog and so... here am I!
I should really start this off with a disclaimer. You know how different states have friendly state rivalries going on? Well in Georgia, we have this thing with Alabamans... there are tons of jokes claiming that most of the people in Alabama are... what's the word I'm searching for... unitelligent? Yeah... we'll go with that word. Anyway, we ALL know that isn't true, as one of the smartest people I know and someone I dearly love(Amber Benson) came out of Alabama. Also, my acting troupe did a lot of play productions with the Birmingham Community Theater, and I have to say, they had some extremely talented actors there. So, I seriously mean no harm or offense to anyone reading this. It was just a funny thing that happened. So, let's get this party started!
It was circa the year 2000 and my boyfriend, along with two other couples, and I were going to the state of Alabama to see a play that our troupe would soon be performing. I'm a tad fuzzy on which play it was. I had been coming out of a pot induced stupor when we arrived, but I have a good recollection of the events that transpired. Anyway! In tow, I had brought along a friend of mine that had just been dumped by her boyfriend and wanted to get away for a few days, so I had sorrowfully agreed to letting her come along with us as long as she paid for herself a hotel room, which she was fine with, so no hate comments! So this girl, we'll call her Megan to protect her identity, isn't the brightest crayon in the Crayola box. I love her dearly, but she isn't. She'll even tell you that, so don't think I'm all big, bad, and mean! Some of the drugs we used to do, messed with her brain a bit. I don't say that lightly in the least because it could have just as well had happened to me. Back to the story! We're driving down the road when Brandon, my boyfriend, announces that he's hungry. The rest of us were all, "Yeah, we could stand to eat." So he's pulls into the first restaurant serving breakfast we could find, which happened to be a Denny's, next to a big F350 truck that had a bumper sticker on it saying, "Duct Tape. Alabama chrome." . We were in a little town in Alabama called Prescott... you blink and you miss it, but by gosh they had their Denny's and it was PACKED OUT!
We settled down into a six person booth in the far right hand corner of the restaurant, with one of the guys pulling a chair over to the head of the table and taking a seat. We were sitting calmly, just talking about the upcoming play we were going to see, wondering if our upcoming production of the same one would be as good as theirs, as we ate breakfast. I don't know if it was the brutal blow of everyone being coupled up with their honeys except for her, or if the urge had just struck her suddenly, but Megan shoots up from the table and announces that she has to go to the bathroom. We all said that was cool, and she took off for the unisex restroom. The restroom that was located in the far LEFT HAND corner of the restaurant. She takes off, and we just happened to glance over at her... you're in a different state, with people around you don't know... you have to keep a check on your peeps. We had a clear view of the bathroom door from where we were sitting. My friends, Layla, Jenny, and I, us being the only other girls there besides Megan, and you can NEVER count on guy to notice anything, notice that she's standing in front of the bathroom door, looking rather confused. We were discussing whether or not to go see what was going on when Megan's voice rings out, loud and clear, reaching our ears on the other side of the restaurant saying, "You know you're in Alabama when the lock is on the outside of the bathroom door!" The door, for some reason, ONLY had lock on the OUTSIDE of the door. Denny's, which had been filled with a low rumble of pleasant conversation from the Alabama inhabitants, fell completely silent. It was in that silence that Layla's boyfriend, Cole, stands up at the table, cups his hands around his mouth and calls back, "It's 'cause they have to go in pairs in Alabama! One to use the bathroom and the other one to spend their time figuring out how to lock the door!" Oh, had I only been able to crawl under the table. We got some LOOKS! I mean, if shotguns had been allowed in that restaurant, we wouldn't have stood a chance!
With a light blush tinting our cheeks, Layla and I climbed over the guys in the booth, Layla desperate to get away from Cole at that moment in time, and headed to the bathroom to stand guard over Megan's door... just to make sure she wasn't assasinated for insulting Alabama WHILE WE WERE IN ALABAMA! We waited for a bit outside of the door and heard the sound of the toilet flushing, followed quickly by a hysterical giggle. Layla looks at me and whispers, "That last drag she took off of that joint must have finally hit her." I bit back a giggle, and knocked softly on the door, calling out, "Are you okay in there?"
She opened the door, her face the color of a ripe Gala apple and says, "You won't believe me if you don't see it for yourselves." Then she burst into even louder gales of laughter again. Well, me being... well, ME, I'm kinda skittish when someone comes out of the bathroom and says, "You won't believe me if you don't see it." I shot Layla a look, mostly filled with wariness, then I stepped cautiously into the bathroom, Layla stepping in behind me. I looked around the room and didn't see anything funny. Megan, noticing we weren't laughing like she'd been doing, stepped into the room and pointed. "Look CLOSE," she said, her index finger pointing to the porcelain throne. I got frustrated because I couldn't figure out what she was talking about. I turned my head and saw Brandon and the other guys paying for our bills, and put my right index finger up, barely away from my temple and swirled it around, to show him that Megan was nuts. Then, I heard Layla start to giggle, and I snapped my head back around. Before I knew it, she was in a full fledged laughing fit. In between gasps she tells me, "Look at the handle! Alabama chrome!"
My eyes searched until they fell on the handle, and then I started laughing too, harder than the other two girls were. It seems, someone had broken the handle in half, and another poor soul had taken their time to fashion the other half of the handle out of pure, 100% DUCT TAPE! Oh it was hillarious!
I'm laughing so hard tears are streaming down my face as I'm retelling this incident! Maybe it was a moment where you had to be there; I'm not sure. However, I hope this at least got a smile out of you guys! I look forward to hearing some comments! Also, I want to send a sincere thank you to the good people of Prescott, Alabama, and the workers of the Denny's in that area. Without you, this blog entry wouldn't have been possible! Until next time guys! :o)

This is me

So, I have something to say...
If I yell at you, or get short with you, don't assume I hate you or don't care about whatever we're talking about. When I care enough to yell at you or get short with you, rest assured you're loved. I find it completely obtuse and crazed for some people to go around in their everyday lives with drama in them. If you can avoid it, why put yourself through it? I had this friend of mine today(for those of you that have watched Buffy, the girl acts very much like Snyder... in the BAND CANDY episode), anyway, this friend of mine attacks me, not physically, because she knows better than that, but verbally attacked my character, and I'm not gonna lie. It pissed me off GREATLY. I love the girl to death; she's absolutely one of my BEST friends, but sometimes she doesn't have the sense God gave a coconut... in fact, the coconut may have more sense. SHE asked for MY opinion about a certain situation she was in... some DAYS OF OUR LIVES saga thing. I gave her my opinion, and I was nice as I could be about it, seeing as she kept on finding reasons to ignore EVERYTHING I was saying and continue to ask me questions. So, yeah, I admit, I raised my voice. I didn't yell, but me raising my voice is extremely rare. Then I felt badly for raising my voice, so I got really quiet and started speaking in a slightly clipped tone. Then came the kicker.
She says, "You just absolutely DON'T care about me, do you?" The whole reason I DID give her my opinion was because I cared. Like I said, I love her, but sometimes she's an idiot. I try to tell her things to keep her from getting hurt, and she automatically jumps to, "You don't care." If I tell you something, if I care enough to ARGUE with you about something, I care about you. I only yell and fight with people I love. So please, guys, for furture reference, if I get miffed about a discussion, please know that I do care, and I would rather have you angry or upset with me than I would to see a friend hurting or regretting a decision they've made later on down the road. I've been there and I know how bad it sucks.
So, my advice to you crazy kids... leave the drama in high school. The less amount of it we have in the real world, the better off we'll be.

Long Time, No Talk

Hi guys! Long time no see! Miss me yet? Yes, I will admit that I've been pretty slammed, and placed my blog on the back burner for the last couple of months. But, here now! I just wanted to babble at you for a bit.
I got to thinking today. Yeah yeah... dangerous, I know. Anyway! I was thinking how much things you say have an effect on the people around you, or is it just me that has a foot that likes to live in my mouth and come back to kick me in my own butt? I have a feeling you guys know what I'm talking about. So... the reason for my thought proccess today...
For those of you new, that don't know me, or just simply don't care to go back and read my earlier entries, I keep children. Long story. I hurt myself a couple of years ago, wasn't able to drive due to nerve damage in the right leg, so I kept them to be able to DO something! One of the kids I keep is my younger cousin, Christopher. For those of you that have read before, you have a pretty good idea of his character. He's pretty much a four year old version of me. Just like I was at that age actually, except for the fact that he's autistic. I stuttered and he's autistic(very high functioning. He'll talk to you; not a mimic). That's basically the difference. Anyhow, one of my biggest pet peeves is having to repeat myself. He was in the playroom today, and I called to him from the living room and said, "You need to come on; I'm ready to go over flash cards with you." Usually, he comes right in the room to go over his flashcards. It's a daily routine. Just a little something that's helped him become able to communicate with people. Well, he didn't come when I called, so thinking he may have just not heard me, I walked into the playroom and repeated myself. He was playing with a toy dump truck. He hears me repeat myself and turns around. Then, in a voice, that I KNOW he had to get from me, says, "I heared you the first time. I'm not stuspid." I kinda stood there for a second, pretty much stunned. I later tell my roommate and she says, "He's heard you say it." And thinking on it, yeah, he has. Not only do I hate repeating myself, I hate hearing people repeat themselves. I constantly tell my roomie, when she says something(and I don't acknowledge it) and repeats it, the only difference is that I say "heard" and pronouce "stupid" correctly. So yeah, I really need to watch my tongue around the kiddies. Sure it wasn't like it was a curse word or something, but when you're trying to teach a four year old to have manners... not something you want him saying.
So, anyhow, I've learned a lesson today. Watch whhat you say, or it'll bite ya in the tucus! Then, you can't exactly correct them, not that I didn't try. I just got, "Well, YOU said it." tossed back at me. Could thing I had the old faithful. "I'm bigger than you are," to fall back on! So yeah, definitely learning that people, even little four year olds, pay attention to everything you do and say, even when you think they aren't listening!
Thanks for letting me babble at you guys! More bloggage to come, and i'll try not to neglect you so long next time! Catch ya then! :o)

What Could Have Been

Hiya, guys! I know it's been a while. Just haven't had any real inspiration hit my noggin until today with a fun and somewhat reminiscent conversation on Twitter with a bud. And once again, all I can say to you guys is to buckle up and ready yourselves for a good old fashioned Trista babble fest, complete with all the randomness your heart could POSSIBLY desire!
You guys know already that I have issues with modern day cartoons. I feel they dumb things down for children. So unlike the classic shows we had as kids. You could sit and watch 30 minutes of Nickelodeon and learn that you definitely never wanted a plumber that was missing a nose coming after you in your sleep! Death by plunger... not very appealing. Yep... I'm talking about that old Nick classic "Salute Your Shorts"! I LOVED that show! You know how some things just stick with you? The theme song to that show was one of them! Along with the everyday life lessons they taught... Exhibit A... NEVER ALLOW A GROUP OF FRIENDS TO NICKNAME YOU DONKEY! The reprecussions in life have to be bad... The poor guy doesn't even act anymore!
Then there was Doug, The Adventures of Pete and Pete, AHHHH Real Monsters, Are You Afraid of the Dark. I believe Are you Afraid of the Dark was actually in the little Saturday night program Nick had called Snick. Clever, huh? OH! And KABLAAM was AWESOME!!!! Anyone remember it? The show that took place inside of the comicbook? SOOO much fun! Then of course every girl HAD to watch Clariss Explains It All ANYTIME IT WAS ON! I remember how badly I wanted a brother to call "Ferg Face", just cause. LOL!
Shows back then just said everything they needed to say... PBS was the station back then for dumbed down television shows. Why do people conform? They think it makes things easier when in reality... it only makes you look stupid, like you have no individual ideas.
In short I WANT THE GOOD OL' SHOWS BACK ON THE TUBE!!!! I think we should picket! Till next time guys! :o)

What Else is New?

Hi guys! So.... I was watching Buffy. What else is new, right? Actually it's been a pretty good while since I'd watched an episode. I had started rewatching them about 4 weeks ago to do some Buffy quotes back and forth with a pal of mine, seeing as they still air the show where she lives. I had decided I was going to start in at the episode she was at, just to refresh my mind on the quotes, because I don't look them up... I feel like it's cheating, and that may be the Buffy trivia champ in me talking. I have most of the scripts memorized oddly enough. I think I made it through one episode before things in life started going wonky... you know how that goes.
Anyway. Moving right along. I was watching Buffy, only watched the episode HUSH last night, well... actually, around 3ish this morning. Let me just say, NOT an episode to watch before you go to sleep. Not scary, just weird dreams of wrinkly old dudes trying to cut your heart out and you "can't even shout". Anyhowzers, watched the episode, and thought to myself, during the seen where Giles is explaining who the Gentlemen are, you know the one, I thought, well... who ARE the Gentlemen! So, the researcher in me got to wondering if it was simply a tale created from Joss Whedon's exquisite imagination, or if they were REALLY fairy tale monsters.
My results? The "Can't Even Shout" tune, set to "Master of the House" from Les Miserables, is an actual jump rope song that children used to skip rope to! Kinda freaked me out a little... almost like the "Lizzie Borden" rhyme. Creepy. Anyway, there are some parallels with HUSH and another fairytale. If Disney didn't swap and switch the fairytales up to make them kid friendly, basically what you'd have is a Saturday night horror matinee in a literary binding. After looking through a series of different websites, all of which I Googled anything that would lead to the Gentlemen. I finally remembered an old book of my grandmother's I had that was an original copy of Grimms Fairytales... well, not the German version, the after it was translated version. I kept seeing references to a story, in my online research, called The Seven Brothers. If you count the Gentlemen on the show, there are seven of them, hence the reason for needing seven hearts. I finally grabbed the copy of Grimms Fairytales that I had. I probably looked very much like Giles on the series when the realization struck him that he'd seen them before. I grabbed the book, flipped to the Table of Contents, and there, among the yellowed pages and black lettering, staring straight back at me... THE SEVEN BROTHERS. So, I did what any good detective with the last name of Holmes would do. I read it. :o)
The story, was about a poor couple that had 7 sons, and, since humans can never be pleased with what they already have, they wanted a daughter. They finally had a little girl, and she was a sickly little thing. When she was older, the father sent one of the boys to get some water from a spring, and the others decided to go along. Apparently, they took too long for the father's liking and he wished that they were changed into birds(upon researching, some translations say ravens, some translations say cows.) Mine only said BIRDS, so I'm going with birds. So, pops makes this wish, and suddenly all these birds start flying around his head. He's saddened by his mouth speaking before his brain thought. Apparently, back then, all you had to do was wish and it came true... hmmm... I wish I had a million dollars. Ah, well, it was worth a shot. Back to the story. So, dear old dad turned out to be Daddy Dearest. They took care of the birds, and the sister grew up really pretty and healthy. She overheard the townspeople saying one day how pretty she was, but what a shame it was about her brother, which, up until this point, she'd completely forgot she had. She goes to this woman that was supposedly the town witch. She tells the sister that she must stay totally silent for 24 hours to change her brothers back to their natural form. So to ensure that she does, the sister asks the witch to take away her voice... UH OH! Gee... Little Mermaid much? So, the voice is gone, and the sister goes back to the house, which is oddly enough no longer inhabited by her parents, not specified as to why not. She lets the birds out of the cage, and here is where the Grimms version differ from all the rest of the translation. The witch sneaks in, changes the brothers into creatures(again not specified what kind), gets two of them to hold down the sister while the witch cuts out the poor girl's heart as the remaining brothers look on smiling.
So see? Similarities, but I liked Joss' version a lot better. Plus... to make the silence last longer that five minutes, it was just a genius episode. Not as good as ONCE MORE WITH FEELING, which will ALWAYS be my favorite, but I LOVE HUSH! It was just creative. My opinion, it set the bar pretty high for a series on a network that, at the time, few people had even heard of. I need Joss' mind!
Here's to an exciting blog adventure on the next go around guys! :o) Catch ya'll later, and take care!

Early Morning Randomness

Hiya guys! I know, another bloggage so quickly, you're probably thinking, what's up with that. Well, I'm gonna tell ya! I was playing this video game this morning, after my standard two hours of sleep... I was feeling a tad bit nostalgic for some of the older gaming consoles, so I dragged out my N64 and blew all the dust off of it with one of those spray cans of air. I LOVE THOSE THINGS, but they taste really bad. Not that I make a habit of eating them of anything; it's just... well you know how sometimes you get the taste of something on your hands? Well, I'm a nail biter, ergo... the bad tastiness...
Moving right along... I busted out one of my old favorite games for N64. Used the little dust remover cannister, and then popped Banjo Kazooie in the console for a quick play. Quick I told myself... not so much. Once I got in "the zone", it was all over! I started remembering hidden areas, small little tips I picked up the first time I played the game, and last but not least... I dragged from my memory the year that Rareware and Nintendo merged... a VERY detrimental part of the game... unless you plan on getting stuck in ONE SPOT for the rest of the time you're playing. Followed by, yes I'll say it, a VERY valuable cheat! Anyhow, I didn't get stuck... I had a blast moving through the different levels, defeating one boss after another. I tell ya, it's just not a game unless you have a bear with a bird in his backpack, and a severly overweight witch as the main characters... AHHH! It was so much fun!
So I started this game somewhere in the vicinity of 4ish this morning... finished it up around 6:30ish. I don't have issues with quitting games or anything, but if there's one thing I've learned, it's that when you're on a role with winning, don't quit! So I defeted the evil Gruntilda, and got Banjo and Kazooie to a lovely island retreat after all their hard labors, and fruitful tasks.
Had to put the randomness out their guys! Hope you enjoyed! Until next time! Peace out!

Weird Weddings...

Picture it... A beautifully decorated church. In the front, a groom dress in a dapper gray tuxedo, 2 groomsmen by his side as he anxiously awaits his future bride to make her way down the aisle so the two can be joined in marital bliss. One bridesmaid makes her entrance, signaled by a soft string arrangement of "Cannon in D", followed by another, before the Maid of Honor begins her path. A small, wide eyed flower girl, probably no older than three or four makes her way down the aisle after a very rambuncious 4 year old ring bearer. The peach colored rose petal mark a trail for the bride, a vision in a white Cinderella style dress, to follow. One of the most beautiful love songs of all times is sang the vows are said, and the two are pronounced husband and wife. They turn to face their attentive audience... most of which are wearing a few questionable costumes. The couple beams as they make their way out the back of the church. The guests file out row by row and make the short drive down the road to the reception hall. The band, friends of the bride, arrive and set up as people are still filing in. The bride and groom enter, their eyes taking in the peach and mint green decorations of the reception hall. A loud voice rings out, "I present to you Mr. and Mrs. Noah Windham." The band begins playing music... the complete score to the Rocky Horror Picture Show, minus "Sweet Transvestite". After going through the score, the group segues into some rather depressing 80s ballads.
The story you have just heard is true... I was there, as a matter of fact, I was in the band, doing the lead vocals, and lead guitar! All the music choices, not my own. It's what the bride wanted. Why? I haven't the foggiest idea. All I know is she has a good reason to look back on her big day and laugh! Sure the wedding LOOKED normal on the outside, but get behind the closed doors of the reception hall in Chapel Hill, NC, and a different story was told. I'm so glad the couple was majorly into theatrics, or there may have been some regret on their part. But, hey, at least they have interesting stories for the children and grandchildren in the future! :o)
Till next time guys!!!!! Enjoy and take care!

Cat's Claw Giveaway

Hi guys! I hope enverything is going awesomely fantabulous out ya'll's way! Wanted to take a few minutes and chat with you guys about a little project I was brought on board with.
My pal, Jenny B, approached me a couple of weeks ago, and asked if I'd help her out on something she was working on, and you just have to understand the coolness of Jenny B to know why I said yes after knowing her for a short amount of time. She has to be one of the most warm hearted and generous people I know, and she a big Amber Benson fan, and we ALL know where I stand on that issue! YAY, Amber! Wow... I got sidetracked... imagine that... ANYWAY, so Jenny has this plan, and so of course I tell her I'll help her in whatever way I can, even though at this point I have no clue what I'm getting myself into.
The big day arrives, and finally I get the email with a description of Jenny's master plan. Here's where you guys find out the awesomeness that is her. Although she doesn't have a Twitter page or anything, she keeps up on it. She's been looking at the people that have been tweeting(yep, I checked it is OFFICIALLY in the dictionary) about wanting Amber's newest book in the Calliope Reaper-Jones series entitled Cat's Claw. For those of you not familiar with the series, the first book is called Death's Daughter, and they are TOTALLY worth reading! Jenny was seeing a lot of people wanting copies of Cat's Claw that, because of reasons which I'm sure aren't lost on any of us in the economy at the moment, haven't been able to purchase. So Jen decides she's going to obtain X amount of copies and give them away for free with no strings attached, not something you get much in this day and time. She brought me and a couple of other folks on board to help her with getting the word out since we had resources of reaching people that she did not.
I'm not sure how much of you guys keep tabs on Amber Benson, but she's a busy lady. She's one of those actresses with her head not in the clouds, and seems to be more concerned with her fans and helping other than making a buck. Her new movie DRONES, which was co directed with Adam Busch, was just screen at the Egyptian Theater in LA to benefit a phenominal charity called 826LA. For those of you not familiar with said charity, it's a WONDERFUL program they have set up out in the LA area that teaches kids how to use the creative stores of their mind with teachers that encourage them to do things such as write, which is almost a lost artform is schools nowadays. So again, Miss Benson gave her time, and the screening of a REALLY AWESOME movie, and donated the proceeds to the awesome charity. So, Jen thought a way for a few of her fans to sort of give back to her and help some more people out in the process was to do the free giveaways for Cat's Claw. Fun plan!
Anyhow, I'm going to wrap up here, but if you guys would like, or know anyone that would like a free copy of Cat's Claw, no hooks, no gimmicks, and no money out of pocket, please send an email to black93transam@yahoo.com and watch for an email from the Jedi Master of BS(edited b/c I don't know if any kiddies are reading), or if ya have any questions, feel free to tweet me @tholmes86 and I'll be happy to answer what I can! The giveaway is US ONLY so please keep it in the states! Thanks guys! Thanks to Amber Benson, just for being the coolness of you, and thanks to Jenny B for being the terriffic person you are, and for bringing me on board to assist you! Hugs my friend!
Talk to you guys next time!

Death By Rice

Hiya guys! Wanted to share with you guys how I almost killed my one of my best buds today. Sit back, chillax, and enjoy!
I was having a talk today with my buddy Watson. Told her a story that went a little something like this... I will refrain from the usage of real names to protect the innocent:
So I have this friend that was scheduled to audition for a part today. The character was supposed to have low self esteem. My friend that's going for this audition, VERY much the opposite... bright, bubbly, and a blast to be around! She calls last night saying, "Hey! So I have this part to audition for. Cut me down!"
I kinda sat with the "lights on nobody's home" expression on my face for a second and then said, "Cut you down?"
She says, "You know! Insult me!" Oh had she only asked me to the night before when I was called Hitler!!!!!
I finally said, "I don't want to be the one to insult you."
She says, in a very excited tone, "Oh COME ON! Do it!"
I kinda rolled my eyes and responded, in a dead panned voice, "Fine. You freak. You sideshow."
Silence on the other end for the space of about about five seconds, longest time the girl had ever been quiet the whole time I've known her. Finally, in a shaky voice she finds her voice... "Well, that made me feel like I wasn't even worth cutting down."
I kinda smirked on the other end, "Well, destroyed your self esteem, didn't it?"
She answers back, "Hey! Thanks!"
So anyway, I tell this story to Watson, unaware that my good friend is eating some rice for her lunch. I get the IM response: "I can't swallow my food!" Meaning in my mind... OMG! I've killed Watson!!!! It was a rice killing!!!!
She tells me later after she was calm that one of her coworkers kept checking on her after hearing the choking... at least she was cared for! :o)
Anyway, after the whole thing was over, I tell her I can see the headlines now. "WATSON: Death by Rice". But all is well in Watsonville. She's still alive and kicking, and I only partially killed her... good thing she bounces back fast! Heart ya, Wats!

WOW OH WOW!!!!!!!!!

Hey, ya'll! Hope everything is going well out in cyber world for ya! OH! And in your real lives too! Blogging topic today... serious, or crazy... I vote CRAZY!
My crazy neighbors frustrate the heck out of me. They don't watch their children AT ALL! This is how my morning went....
My mother came to visit today, never a good thing, but she's alive and breathing, so I can deal with the put downs. I love her, but sometimes she just makes me want to SCREAM!!!!!! What can ya do, except be docile and compliant? Big improvement over the two years she didn't talk to me. So, that was the badness of my morning. Onward to the eventful part!
My neighbor's kids are cute as can be, but they are just sooooo LOUD in the breezeway leading to my apartment. You know how those things can echo... Anyhow, I keep hearing this strange whirring sound, followed by something slamming really hard against my door. I have a peephole, and before you guys ask, no I didn't look. Never do. I know.... DANGER WILL ROBINSON! LOL! It'll be alright. Anyhow I open the door and see this streak of black cross in front of my eyes. Can ya guess what's coming next? I look to my left, for the simple fact that I was standing BEHIND the door, and see these kids barreling down my hallway in one of those little electronic Power Wheels Jeep thingies. Apparently, the wheel had jammed and the only thing they could hit was my door, so when I opened it, they came careening into my unsuspecting apartment, screaming at the top of their lungs! They finally let off the pseudo gas pedal, and stopped. I helped them get turned around, and sent them back outside, where I came face to face with the psychotic woman from one of the earlier blog posts. The one that poked me in the chest trying to start a fight. She sang a different tune today though. Even apologized for her kids disturbing me. TAKE THAT! I kinda snickered a tad after she left. I know, I'm a bad human being. Just love me anyway, and we'll be fine! :o)
That's all I got for today guys! Catch ya later!

OH MY TUMMY!!!!!!!

Hey, guys! I tell you... honest to GOODNESS, my tummy has never hurt so bad in my LIFE! I have laughed so much today, I threw myself into an asthma attack! I needed the laughter. It was splendifurkle! It all started with my pal Jenny B! Apparently, we're both haunted, no, not haunted, PLAGUED by Dora the Explorer and Deigo! Sidebar... Dora gets a full title and Deigo is just Deigo... like Cher, or Madonna... what's up with that? Hmmm... ANYWAY! We are both plagued by these two little kiddie shows. They may be entertaining for the kiddies, but they kinda make you, as an adult, want to ram your head through a brick wall... repeatedly. Just sayin'! I have LAUGHED at the situations we seem to get locked into with these... characters!
Then, today... talking Buffy quotages with my other bud Bits! You guys know me and Buffy. I would have married Joss Whedon if Kai hadn't already had snatched him right out from under my nose! Buffy quotes with Bits are fun! We pick out the most insanely hilarious, and obtuse quotes from whatever show happens to be on that day! Oh the laughs! It's not even the quotes really... it's the discussion that goes on ABOUT the quotes! Bits is frickin' hillarious and doesn't even know it! I believe most of the humor in our chats come from her! I think it opened the door for the rest of the laughter for the day. Put me in a good mood! So HOORAY!
Then there was Sarah B. Where do I start? We started with Buffy comics... yes I admit, I read them. What about it? LOL! Season 8 is just getting very... you fill in the blank with a word that's an antonym for good. Be as creative as you like! The girl had me rolling! We talked about everything from Buffy comics to me driving the riding lawn mower up the tree when I was about 4, and in my Miss America stage. You know... more concentrated on waving to the adoring fans as opposed to paying attention to where you're driving. YEP! Never been one to pay attention. Sarah showed me a "wee worthy" movie, and I'm really hoping I don't have to explain what a wee is! LOL! The best converstaions are when you laugh so hard you can reach into your mind and just barely remember what you've talked about! All of mine have been that way today!
Last but not least, none of my bloggage on laughter would be complete without the mention of one of my newest and dearest friends Watson! She is the QUEEN of laughter! Totally gets my randomness... and I have to admit... I do have times that I skip from one extreme topic to the next and she can follow me! I mean, how many friends can you talk to going from the subject of Buffy and then two words later, go on to discussing church and they totally get what you're saying? We joke all the time about sharing a mind... that in itself is a pretty hillarious picture! Reason being is that good old Watson is more intelligent than I am! Between the chat and all other platforms of communication, there is no easing my aching stomach!
I made a remark to Bits today that I thought I may have cracked a rib from laughing so hard! What a way to break a bone! Heard a remark from Watson today that she may die laughing... what a way to go! Watson always says that the laughter has to keep the stomach muscle toned. You would THINK with the way the sides, lungs, and inards hurt so badly! Now all I have to do is wait for it to firm up!
That about wraps it up for me tonight! Talk with you guys next go around, and I wish you much laughter and tightening of the tummy muscles!

The Beauty of Life

Hey guys! Despite everything going on, I have had the BEST day today I've had in a long time! Everything has just been so calm and peaceful. Started back keeping the kids again today, and I think that helped restore some normalcy. Well... as normal as I CAN be anway! Lots of changes, positive ones, heading my way soon! I'm getting a house! Like to own! So excited! The parental units bought one for me, so I'm pretty siked about that!
Have you guys ever noticed how babies make things in life so much easier to cope with? All evening, things were kind of docile around my best friend, Marla's grandma's house, since the death of her grandpa. Not like depression, but you could just tell everyone was exhausted and nerves were starting to get on edge, and then, Marla's cousin walks in with his baby. Addy just turned a year old, and is walking and saying a few words here and there. She came in today, and the whole room just lit up! She'd come over an hug you or try and give kisses. I got attacked because I was sitting on the floor, right at her level, so naturally she runs full speed ahead and I HAD to act like she'd tackled me, and she just giggled! I LOVE it!
You know how people bring food to the family when someone passes away? There was tons of food! You have to understand Marla's granny before I tell you guys this story. She's hard of hearing, and a lot of times her thought processes don't make a lick of sense, but she's one of those people that you CAN'T NOT love! Our church brings in food, and after everyone has finished eating, she says, "Ya'll can't put all that in my frigidaire! It'll break it down!" We all laughed and she walked on around us and never even heard the 20 some odd people laughing and chortling at her!
It was definitely a great day. Light hearted, found out one of Marla's mom's sister feeds her husband dog food... not really. She made the slip up today of saying she'd bought her husband some Beneful as opposed to Benefiber. We had one of those gut busting laughs over that!
Anyhow, guys! I'll be back to babble at ya later! I'm planning on tomorrow being a total Buffyfest before I have to get ready to go with Marla to the funeral home. I have to have something to keep my mind off of the sadness! Who knows? Someone may walk in the room and see me quizzing myself on Buffy trivia! Just to keep my mind off of things! Till we meet in cyber space again guys!

A comma isn't a period

Hey, guys! Been a rough couple of days. My great aunt passed away suddenly Wednesday morning. A blot clot hit her heart, killing her almost instantaneuosly. I needed the venting space, so here am I. Apologies all around for what will probably be a heavy, but hopefully not too awfully bad, blogging session.
It's hard to lose someone you love, someone you're close to, as it is, much less when it's unexpected. I've kept to myself mostly the last few days. Without my best friend Marla, along with Watson, Bits, and Jenny, I probably wouldn't be sane at this moment in time. I'm one of those people that can't let myself cry until I know everyone around me is okay. I've felt like I needed to keep everything bottled up inside, for my mother's sake. She'd gone completely tacit for the last couple of days, not talking to anyone, mostly just crying, hardly been able to get her to eat. My aunt was a second mother to her, more so after my grandmother passed away about 2 years ago. She finally answered some questions for me tonight. Just little stuff, nothing major, but I've never been so relieved to hear someone tell me they wanted a cup of coffee. I may need to back up for a second.
There's a background story with my mother and I. We're both a lot alike, and yet not alike at all. With the crying thing, my mom always told me that I shouldn't cry. It shows weakness, she said, and that if I was going to do so, I should keep it to myself. So for the last 16 years I've gone on not crying very much for anything, and if I did keeping it to myself. I have a hard time letting people in. I try to be a very open, honest person, but I still keep a certain part of myself guarded. Doesn't everyone? Anyhow, from the time I was small, my mother has said things to me that no parent should ever say to their child. I have to forgive her and move on. That's what you do for family. You forgive it and move on, but any time my mom would hurt me so deeply or tell me she didn't want anything to do with me or wish I'd never been born, my aunt would always be there to pick up the pieces. She and my grandmother. My mother isn't a bad person by any means. She'd give someone the shirt off of her back if they needed it, but I guess she must see something about me, that she doesn't like in herself. Usually that's the case. Wow... already sidetracked... let's see. Anyway, losing my aunt was like losing my grandmother all over again. It's a horrible experience. Losing anyone, and the losses have seemed to be coming left and right lately. Finally, today, everything got to me. The taciturn mother, the loss, the grief, the fact that I couldn't get my hair to do what I wanted it to... yeah, when I get upset about hair control, it's bad. I finally broke down. Couldn't hold it in anymore. I'd been crying off and on for the last two days, sometimes hours at a time, and that's when either Watson would shoot a text message, or Bits or Jenny would shoot me an email. That helped more than they'll probably ever know. But today, I lost it. I cried a good solid 4 hours, till I absolutely cried myself out. I had to get everything out because someone had to not cry for my mom. Being an only child, I felt that was my burden to bear. My dad sang at the funeral service, and I was supposed to play for him, but that didn't happen. I just couldn't.
We sat through a song, and then my cousin, who is a preacher, got up and spoke over his mother. He made it through, and did a better job than the pastor of her church. For those of you that may not know me well, I am religious. I don't argue about it, because it's a pointless subject to fuss about. I love people just the same, whether they're Baptist, Catholic, Mormon, Episcopalian, Jewish or believe nothing at all. I'm not going to stand on a soap box and preach at people, or judge them because it isn't my place. I have my views and they have theirs, and I respect that. I do believe in an afterlife. I believe that our soul goes on after death. That thought was lost to me upon hearing of my aunt's death. The thought that, it's permanent. It is on earth, but my cousin made a comment over his mom today and said that it wasn't a period at the end of her life, it was only a comma. That brought a lot of comfort to me, when I needed it. So, now, if you notice a ton of run on sentences in my blogs or emails, it's because the comma is my new favorite punctuation mark because nothing really ends. For instance this blog, I just can't seem to shut up! LOL! Glad you guys love me enough to deal with me, or at least like me! :o)
I do want to wrap it up though by thanking everyone for the thoughts and prayers sent my way this last few days. You guys mean a lot, and you'll never know how much. If I could give everyone of ya'll a great big southern bear hug I would! If I ever meet ya in person... watch out because I AM a hugger! LOL! But not the creepy kind... just realized how... psychotic that sounded. Light hearted bloggage on Monday! Already know what I'm going to babble at you guys about! Have a great one! Till next time,

Shootin' the Breeze...

Hey guys! Hope everything's going great out ya'll's way. And yes, I just gave ya'll a possessive form. :o) It's been one of those days... NOT IN A BAD WAY! Of the good this time! I've wanted to write today, and just haven't known what to say. Imagine... me... speechless! HA! Apparently, someone sneaked in and placed duct tape over the mouth of my muse, so she's not making so much with the chatty today, but I'm a trouper! I'll plow on through and hope what I say makes at least some semblance of sense!
I was playing some video games tonight, and then had a nice relaxing evening curled up with a book, one of my favorites called "Waltz Into Darkness" by Cornell Woolrich. If you guys haven't read it, I recommend! It's probably about the 6th time I've read it this year. I mean... after you finish "Death's Daughter" and "Cat's Claw" by Amber Benson, what can you do, right? Speaking of which... need to get the word out guys... only have 32 out of 200 reviews for "Cat's Claw" on Amazon for Amber to have to make good on her end of the challenge! Let's get 'er done! Anyway... I was going somewhere with this... oh yeah! So I was reading "Waltz Into Darkness" after the video gameage and just stopped reading and thought, "man I need a life!" Then, I remembered... I was too busy to HAVE a life. I wonder how that works out.
I go so much, all the time, it's like I seem to forget that THAT IS my life! And you know what? I really wouldn't trade it for anything. It's crazy, chaotic sometimes, completely random, and sometimes(to throw in some Buffy quotage) "sucks beyond the telling of it." But the crazy chaotic, random, and, yes, even the bad parts, are so worth the good. Most of you reading this know that I had a friend of mine take her life recently. That has hit me harder than I believe I thought it did originally. I just wonder how someone can come to that point in their life. I mean, I've been to that point, and I know it's easy to get to, but at the end of the day, I can't think of ANYTHING worth missing out on life for.
Okay, enough with the heavy stuff. Let's have some fun. Completely random and totally having nothing to do with this blog, other than it's my self expression, my little cousin, who's four walked into my living room today, and said he wanted to tell me a joke. I'm ALWAYS up for a joke! If you have one, lay it on me! He asked me, "Why did the chicken cross the playground?" And I KNOW I should have known the answer, but I was so dumbstruck that he asked if he could tell me a joke, I said, "I have no idea." He looked at me with the biggest Chesire cat grin you have ever seen, and says... "To get to the other slide." I busted out laughing! Couldn't help it. Yeah, it's a cheesy joke, and yeah it's a kid's joke, but the way he said it and the big grin, was just hillarious! I asked him where he heard that, and he looks at me and said, "From you! 'Member? You know everything!" The child was as serious as a heartattack! Boy, does he have a hard road ahead if he believes that! Christopher, my cousin, is autistic, and I keep him Monday through Thursday. More often than not he tones you out, and you don't think he's paying a bit of attention. Then he pulls something like that up from months before... it just amazes me. I remembered the day I'd told him that joke after a few minutes. He was sitting on the floor coloring a Buffy coloring book page... yes I had the Buffy coloring books... THEY WERE GIFTS! When I told him that joke at the time, he told me that it was "silly", I believe was the term he used. But today, it took on a whole new meaning. That is exactly what I want to try to look for in the bad and messy things of life... the whole new meaning. I love the part in any book or movie when the bad turns into good, and I truly believe that's what happens in life. Throughout all the ups and downs, and bumps and bruises, the bad always turns to good, if you hold on and wait for it.
Those are my random thoughts for the day guys! Hope you enjoyed! All over the place, I know, but that's my charm I guess! Look forward to babbling at you again soon!
OH!!!! And by the way... Buffy trivia went awesomely fantabulous! I'm still the reigning champ, and still have yet to miss a question! Peace out, folks!

Friends

Hey guys! Today is one of those days I just want to be thankful. I have some of the coolest friends! Some old, and some newer. Taking some time out of the day to appreciate and show the love.
Marla: My absolute BEST FRIEND in the world! Stuck by me through everything, and I mean that in the most literal sense of the word. If anything bad ever happened, she was there... I wonder if there's a connection between the two. Hmm... Nah! She's too awesome for anything like that. I remember this one time; I thought I'd killed her. Gave her something with cashews in it, that I DIDN'T KNOW had cashews in it, and she went into antifalactic shock... scary time! Needless to say... I don't give her candy anymore.
Watson: You have to be the MOST FUN individual on the face of the earth! I don't think we ever run out of things to talk about! It makes me happy that all of our conversations leave us both hurting from laughing too hard! It is okay to hurt as long as it's from laughing, right? Although the lightheadedness from not being able to breathe while laughing so hard tends to give me a slight buzz. Still, wouldn't trade ya for anything! Thank God for Amber Benson, or we never would have met!
Nicole: Girl, you can trade trade Buffy trivia with the best of them! It has been a blast getting to know you, and getting my brain picked with questions about the best show ever made that I actually have to think about! You seem like an absolutely awesomely cool individual and I can't wait to get to know ya better!
Luke: You have been one of my best buds since middle school! I'm proud of you for standing up for what you think is right, and not letting others dictate your life. I know if I ever need anything, or just need someone to listen I can call you up and it won't matter how long it's been since we've had a chance to speak, it's always like nothing has changed. Love ya!
Michael: Absolutely one of the SMARTEST people I have ever met! I enjoy the conversations on the randomized subjects we somehow seem to wind up talking about. Also, I know my router appreciates you for telling me to stop throwing it against the wall and sliging it around my head by the ethernet cable. Look forward to more conversations!
I think that's about got me in the clear for what I wanted to say for today guys! Talk to ya on the next go around! By the way, even if you weren't mentioned in specifics... I still am very glad to count you among my friends!

Been Thinkin'

Hey, guys! Hope all is going well with ya'll! Today... yes, I am pausing for dramatic effect... I've been thinking! Dangerous thing to do, I know, but I think I have something figured out. I can't do much on the acting front anymore, at least not stage wise, so I've think I've got it! A fool proof way to still be able to show off my flare for the dramatic(and BOY do I have a flare for the dramatic!) and still be able to keep from breaking my leg again with all the dance complications of musical theater. You guys ready for it? THEATRICAL RADIO! That's what I've been thinking. Well, that and how to get prepped for my Buffy trivia competition this weekend. Nervous about that one, and kinda excited all at the same time. Finally found out today how many questions they're firing at us. Somewhere in the ballpark of 10,500, they said. Keep in mind, there about 50-60 of us, give or take. Needing some serious quizzing on the subject, so if any of you have questions just shoot 'em my way, either on my Facebook ot Twitter, even an email will work. Back to what I was saying... what was I saying. OH! Theatrical Radio Broadcasting. I think I could soooo do that! I mean, you get into character and don't have to worry with the learning of the choreography, or lines. If I pursue this, however, I sure hope I'm not one of those people that move their arms around frantically the whole time their character is speaking or singing. Really, it doesn't take all that... No one sees you anyway! They aren't going to know if you're sitting on your hands or waving a flag. Yes, I am one of those folks that wouldn't be able to talk with my arms tied behind my back because I do use the hands for speaking(I think it's a southern thing), but this is just overexaggerated stuff. Wow. Pretty sure I butchered the spelling on that. Anyway, some broadcasts do record videos and no one wants to look at themselves looking like an enraged orangutan! Well, maybe someone does, but I'm not one of them. Flailing your arms about does not make one a better actor. Anyhow, that's my randomized thoughts for the day! I keep promising to be more organized, but it's not working for me. It just isn't me, the whole organization thing, not with the thought processes moving as rapidly as they do. Anyone out there know what I'm saying? Anyhow, talk with you guys next go around! Later gators!

You Know What?

You know what I'm tired of guys? I am sooooooooooo-- the alphabet doesn't even have enough "o"'s for how so tired I am of watching "Dora the Explorer" with kids!!!! Whoever thought that up had waaay too much time on their hands! When I was little we had cartoons like "He-man" and "She-ra", "Care Bears", "The Snorks", you know, programs without freaky little monkeys that talked! Also, without cows and chickens that looked like they were smokin' some serious weedage. That's just weird.
This has been the craziest day! Singing monkeys, people that wear the same clothes day after day on television programs. What are they teaching our kids these days? "Sure, it's okay if you wear the same outfit all week!" One of the kids I keep actually asked if she could wear the same clothes over and over again. I told her it was unsanitary. You know the response I got? "What does that mean?" You'd think a two year old would know the word! Really!
I find myself watching my dvd ses of HR Puffinstuf, Electra Woman and Dyna Girl, Sigmund and the SeaMonsters repetitively! Now THAT was entertainment.
All over the place guys! Sorry! Just what was on my mind...

Life's Lessons

You learn life's lessons through the small things in life. I can think of about twelve right off the top of my head. I shall share them with you now!

12: If you consume too much alcohol.... chances are you're eventually going to either, embarrass the heck out of yourself, or hit the floor. Whichever comes first.

11: Gummy bears take SEVEN YEARS to digest! Just thinking.... WOW!

10: Don't let the bad things in life keep you from the great things in life.

9: Take it from me... don't tell someone to read your blog, even though you totally weren't expecting them to take the time to do so, if you don't really expect them to read your blog!

8: Keep your nose clean... drugs are more trouble than they're worth, and they only keep you satified for a while.

7: It's not a wise idea to Psych 101 someone that you have absoloutely no clue about. Usually, it comes back to bite you in the butt.

6: It's ridiculous to conform to what someone else thinks you should be. Be you.

5: You can learn a lot of valuable life lessons from Buffy! :o)

4: Nowhere in the Bible does it say "cleanliness is next to Godliness", but being clean does have it's benefits!

3: Ladies, if you go to the restroom after a four year old boy has just come out of it, check the toilet seat... the water's cold!

2: Don't judge others.... it's not your place.

1: And my A#1 life lesson..... drumroll please......... If you have a dream in life, aim for it, and then aim a little higher because it will make you happy in the long run!

You can take these of leave them... it won't hurt my feelings either way! Till next time guys!

One of the Funniest Moments of my Life

Hey, guys! Hope all is well! I'm a day or two late on keeping my promise of a lighthearted entry. Ah, well. I never have been one to be governed by a clock. I've decided today, that I am going to tell you guys about one of the funniest, yet most embarassing, days of my life. Hmmm... a story style. Hard decision. I think I'm going to fall back on the style of Sophia Petrillo from the "Golden Girls". You guys just sit back and enjoy!
Picture it! Cartersville, GA, 2002. I had had my driver's licensce a little over a month, and was out with some friends when we received... the call. Not that I'm making light of "the call" in the least. Pretty serious phone call. My friend Amanda hangs up the phone to inform the congregation of us sitting around the table at Outback steakhouse that one of our friends, Chad, had been killed in a car accident. But I digress. Light hearted bloggage today, just giving a background. We left the restaurant, all sad, each of us going to our own homes after. Except for me. I went driving. it's what I do when I get upset. Just hop in the car and go. I always tell people the latter part of this story, but never the first. I'm not sure why that is. Hmmm.... Anyway. Driving. No where to go, just to clear my head. Didn't realize, until about three hours after the "lights on; nobody's home" expression on my face was replaced by a look of clarity, that I had driven myself all the way to Tennessee.
Something you should understand about me... I couldn't find my way out of a paper bag with a huge gaping hole in it, so horrible am I with directions. I pull over at the first gas station I see. I walk in and smile at the clerk, trying to look all nonchalant while the last couple of customers are clearing out of the store, so I don't look like a huge uber idiot when I explain to the man that I had no clue how I had gotten there. The folks made their purchases and left, and I commence walking up to the counter, not realizing that my purse was connected to the sunglasses display. So, I walk forward, and the display leans with me, leaning into yet another display, followed by another, finally followed by a big wire rack that had knick knacks in it. The crash was UNBELIEVABLE! The look on the clerk's face was funnier though. He starts kind of reprimanding my clumsiness, coming out from around the counter.... and tripping over a "caution.... wet floor" sign, and sprawling onto the floor. Who's the klutz now? Anyhow, he sympathized with me after I explained the predicament.
I drove the three hours back home, taking pity on the poor man who's store I destroyed, bought a tank of gas at his store, and yes, I helped clean up the mess my purse had made. The next day kind of blurred and really, I have no memory of anything until the day of Chad's funeral. I'm not one to show my emotions, hold a lot of things in, but I was teared up listening to the preacher go on and on about how great a person, clean nosed Chad had been... he didn't know the same Chad I did. He leads the attendants of the service in a moment of silence, that was supposed to be followed up by a quick prayer. Heads are bowed, eyes are shut in respect for the dead. You could hear the person next to you breathing, and probably the person three rows back too. Then, it happened. As the minister takes a breath to begin the prayer.... Right Said Fred's "I'm too Sexy for my Shirt" begins to ring out over the crowd, getting louder and louder with each word. Not able to hold it in any longer, I busted out into loud gales of laughter, complete with snorts, and gasps for air. I cannot possibly tell you how many glares I got from the people sitting in the room. But when something is funny, it's funny. I don't know who the culprit was that allowed their phone to be off of silence or vibrate, but I'm sure happy it was. Chad was a funny guy. He would've wanted it that way... maybe not his preference of song, but he'd have wanted laughter.
Hoping this was as fun for you to read as it was for me to remember! See you guys next go around!

Amber Benson Wows Fans with the Mad People Skills!

Hey, guys! Yeah I know; I should find a shorter title for the entry, but deal just this once.... pretty please with a cherry on top? I had the priviledge of sitting in front of my computer most of the day, the part my meds would allow me to, and think up mindless questions to ask Amber Benson. For those of you that don't know her, which she's so awesomely fantastic I can't imagine anyone that didn't, she was mostly known for her role as Tara in "Buffy the Vampire Slayer". She's been in plenty of films, mostly sticking to the independant arena and made for TV movies, has had guest spots on TV series such as "Supernatural", "Private Practice", and "Cracker"(on BBC at one point in time), but has now branched out not only into directing, but writing as well, with a flourish, might I add, that I wish I had. Today, she hung out in the Bitten By Books(awesome site!) review chat room, answering questions for her fans, mainy to promote her new book "Cat's Claw", the second in Miss Benson's Calliope Reaper-Jones trilogy. It may be a trilogy anyway, hopefully it'll be more!! There's still so much Callie would be able to get into. I can think of hundreds of things just sitting here thinking about it. Back to the point. Yes, Amber Benson, answering questions. She talked everything from Sweet Valley High, to Christopher Pike, to RL Stine. Hit on the Ghost of Albion series that she co-authored with Christopher Golden, another extremely gifted writer, and a sweet guy. Threw in some talks about Buffy, because as always, inquiring minds want to know.
The thing that stuck with me the most about Amber Benson's Q & A session today is how graceful and personable she was with her fans, but hey, as she is from Alabama(my closest neighbor to the west), that's a Southern girl for ya! She didn't shorten her answers to her fans for the sake of time, and got to at least one of everyone's questions they had asked. I'd be dead tired, which I'm sure she probably is. The five minute Q & As from my parents when I was younger wore me out; I couldn't imagine 12 hours. Yep, I said it. 12 hours answering just about anything our minds came up with, even offered advice, which was very cool.
I suppose I do sing her praises a tad more than most, but you have to understand something, although I watched Buffy, when they brought Tara(Benson) on the show, I was so torn out of the frame by the break up with Oz, I was kinda angry with the whole thing. Then, from her debute episode "Hush", I could tell where Joss Whedon was going to take this new friendship between Willow and Tara. Casting spells.... yeah uh huh! Anyhow, I was a tad irritated at her being replacement gal for Oz, but by the "Family" episode, she won me over a little. Seeing the character's family, much like my own, made me sympathize with her. Yeah, it was a character role, but still, when you go through something personally, you identify more with the character, plus you get to know them week after week and you just get attached. Then, came the turning point for me, maybe a tad bit on the late side of the Buffy series, but at a good time for me. The episode "Tabula Rasa". She leaves Willow after Willow breaks a pretty important promise to her. That hit home. You see the shy, almost scared character that Amber Benson played make a decision to do something so huge and brave. It hit home for me because at the time this relationship came about, I was in a very abusive relationship, not just physically, but mentally and emotionally. I had seen her go from this shy girl that would barely lift her head, to this amazingly strong character. I thought, if she could do it, I could do it. Because abuse, whether it be having your memory sucked from you by a forget spell(twice) or being hit pretty much everyday for seven years, is abuse. Both come with broken, empty promises, and things being done to you against your will. So, I drew from Tara's courage, and ran like heck out of that relationship. So, yes, I'll sing Amber Benson's praises till the cows come home! Got a little off subject, but anyway, here's the bottom line, although there are some not very pleasant people to chat with out in Hollywood world, there are still breaths of fresh air out there. So thank you to Amber Benson for being one of those, and making tonight, not only a memorable one, but a fun one! Had a blast hanging out and can't wait for the next CRJ book!
For those of you that haven't heard of them, check 'em out "Death's Daughter" and "Cat's Claw", respectively. Fun and definitely entertaining!!!! Also, pop on over to http://www.bittenbybooks.com/ and give the site a gander! Till next time!

Loving Life

Hey, guys! Hope everyone out there is doing well! It's about 5:20am my time, and yes I'm still awake. Haven't been able to go to sleep. Today I had a good friend of mine commit an extremely selfish act. I get not one but two emails this morning, one from her mother and one from her sister. Her mother apparently found her sitting in a running vehicle, with the garage door closed, when she came home from working 3rd shift at the hospital she nurses at. It completely blindsided all of us. Alena, the girl that is no longer with us, was always happy. Had a wondeful husband, beautiful baby boy, very loving family and friends, yet she decided to take her light in our lives away too soon. The main question all of us have been asking ourselves was why. The note she left only said she was sorry, that no one had done anything at all to cause her to make the decision, that she just felt it was her time to go because things in this world were just getting too hard. Newsflash! It's hard on everybody. It's not just a select few of people, I promise. God doesn't sit up in Heaven and say, "Hmmm... let's see what I can do to make (insert name here) as miserable as possible." At one point in life or another it falls on everybody. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I promise things don't suck all the time. Usually, the bad crap you go through makes the good so much more precious, and the good is usually completely worth going through the bad. The thing is, it's selfish. Suicide is one of the most selfish act a person can commit. It doesn't give you the chance to try and help the affected individual, it takes it from you. They decide to play God and think you'll just magically be able to go on with life as if they never existed. Well, that's not how it works.
I am so angry with her. A flurry of emotions really. I want to know what was bothering her so badly, I want to shake her, I want to beat the crap out of her because I'm now missing a very good friend that I could talk with about anything. I can't do any of those things now. She not only took away from me, but she also took away her mother's ability to hug her and kiss her, to comfort her, to talk to her. I don't know that I would be able to stand outliving my child. She took away her twin sister's ability to confide in her, to even have a sister. Her husband now has no wife, and her four year old son has no mother. Had she not decided she didn't want to think about all of this stuff, or if even if she had thought about this stuff, I think she'd still be here today. I can't help thinking, if only one of us had known what was going on and were able to reach her or talk with her. There are people on the face of this earth dying everyday that want the chance to live but aren't able to, and then there are people like Alena, who simply live for the chance to die. I don't know what ran through her head, but I can tell you from someone who has been on the other side of a cocked gun or staring down bottles of sleeping pills, nothing is worth taking your own life. Fight for life. Fight until it hurts and then fight for it some more because you never know when it's going to be over.
The last two blogs have been kinda heavy guy. Sorry for that, just needed to get some things off of the chest. I promise no matter what my day is like on Monday, you guys will have a hillarious blog to read. Talk to you then!

Venting...

Hey guys!!!! So... I'm walking to the mailbox today, and I see these two kids sitting on top of the monkey bars on the play ground singing Michael Jackson's "Beat It". Funny stuff. I mean these kids were blasting it out at THE TOP of their lungs. I'm all thinking they're harmonizing pretty decently to be kids, then... one of the boys yells at the other one, "Shut up! You're singing the wrong line!!!" Okay, teensy little freak out right? WRONG!!!! The kid that yelled SMACKS the other one, and knocked him off of the monkey bars. So I, being as I keep kids during the day and have a soft spot for children, walk over to the kid that's been pushed off to check on him. I mean, you would think SOMETHING was wrong if you could hear the thud when said kid hit the ground! Apparently, wrong thing for me to do!!!!! The fallen kid's mom was pulling in the parking lot about the time I approached her son. The boy looked to be around 9ish... maybe. Kids look so much younger now than they did when I was in school! Sidebar... back to the story. The woman has the AUDACITY to come up to me and try to pick a fight with me, wondering if I just randomly walk up to people's kids, and strike up a conversation with them. I'm like... "Uh, he fell off from the top of the monkey bars; I was just checking to make sure he was okay. Happened to be walking by." Do you know what kind of response I get???
"It's not your job to make sure he's okay!!! He's my f****** kid, you GD cripple!!!!" is yelled in my face! Totally uncalled for! And oh! Then... she POKES me in the chest. Sidebar again.... for those of you that don't know me... I walk with a cane. Bad falling accident with my right leg, so needless to say, not the most well balanced person around. I then poured out all the frustration I have had in the last 2 to 3 days with the haters of the world into my quiet yet extremely cold response of, "Well, if you'd been around to watch your damn kid, I'm sure you could've kept him from falling and gettin hurt. Then, we wouldn't be having this issue. But if you choose to keep running with this, I'd be more than happy to show you how adept this cripple is at taking care of herself, and I guarantee you, I'll be the one walking away."
I'm a very laid back person, and it takes A LOT to get me angry, but when you do, I'd suggest moving out of the way and backing off. Lucky for her she did back down, when she saw I wasn't going to cower before her. I kid you not, this chick had a serious attitude problem, and I almost wish she had threw a punch just so I could've kicked every square inch of her but around Georgia, but she didn't, lucky for her. It's been a good 2 years since I've gotten THAT angry, but today it just hit me wrong, or maybe I've just been holding too much stuff in. Not completely sure. If you ever meet me, I'm the most non-violent person you'll ever meet, but I mean seriously, even the peacemakers have their moments.
Sorry for the all over the placeiness of this guys. My later ones will be more put together. You know, when I'm not having a Trista freak moment. Hopefully, this doesn't change your opinion of me, whatever it may be, because that soooo was not the intent. Just venting. Everybody does it.